HRC Blog

Turkish Government Censors Transmen Health Site

On October 8th, the Turkish government shut down the website Transsick-o, a transgender support site that provided information and support for Turkish transmen. In Turkey, a website can be censored if it promotes drug use, gambling, obscenity, pedophilia, suicide, or treason. The website, Transsick-o, however, was a non-sexual site that covered general health and social topics ranging from health care, surgery, and coming out.

The censorship of the transmen health site is one of Turkey’s many recent anti-LGBT moves by the national government. Omer Akpinar, a Turkish gay rights activist, commented that: “Any lifestyle or identity, which does not fit to the state’s ideology, is being deprived of their rights and freedoms.”

Transsick-o’s admins have suggested that the website was censored after a complaint was received by the Turkish government. Transsick-o went on to say, “We see the closure of this information sharing website without any notice as an intervention to the freedom of expression.” The admins plan to appeal the government’s censorship in court.

In the meantime, the site has been moved to blog sites under a German domain. To access Transsick-o, CLICK HERE.